English

Literacy is about more than reading or writing – it is about how we communicate in society. It is about social practices and relationships, about knowledge, language and culture. Those who use literacy take it for granted – but those who cannot use it are excluded from much communication in today’s world. Indeed, it is the excluded who can best appreciate the notion of “literacy as freedom”.

UNESCO, Statement for the United Nations Literacy Decade, 2003–2012

While the development of Literacy skills are embedded in all of Stamford's curriculum, it is the English curriculum that is dedicated to developing the knowledge and skills on which literacy is based – that is, knowledge and skills in the areas of listening and speaking, reading, writing, and viewing and representing.

Stamford Collegiate offers the widest range of English courses available. We offer courses for all students preparing for university, college or entering the world of employment upon graduation. We provide students with quality instruction that encourages them to become critical thinkers, effective communicators and problem solvers. Our courses provide opportunities for students to improve their writing and to become critical consumers of media and texts. Students are encouraged to develop a lifelong passion for reading through the various texts covered in each of our courses.

The goal of the Englsh Department is to:

To cultivate life-long appreciation of reading

To promote multi-diversity

To ensure our students can communicate with skill, precision, and purpose

To provide a safe and encouraging environment for learning

To expand the experiences and understanding of the world we live in

To create connections between texts, individuals, and the world at large

To assist students in attaining the highest levels of success

To provide genuine, current, and relevant learning experiences

Stamford offers a variety of courses designed to
supplement the interests and needs of its students.
Outside of the core English classes, the following are also
offered:

GRADE ELEVEN MEDIA STUDIES (EMS 3O)

This course emphasizes knowledge and skills that will enable students to understand me dia communication in the twenty-first century and to use media effectively and responsibly.

GRADE TWELVE WRITERS CRAFT (EWC 4U & EWC 4C)

This course emphasizes knowledge and skills related to the craft of writing. Students will analyse models of effective writing; use a workshop approach to produce a range of works; identify and use techniques required for specialized forms of writing; and identify effective ways to improve the quality of their writing.

GRADE TWELVE LITERACY (OLC 4O)

This course is designed to help students acquire and demonstrate the cross-curricular literacy skills that are evaluated by the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).

Media

Students will study and understand a variety of media throughout the English curriculum. Media study involves decoding and understanding the implict and explicit messages, bias, texts, theory and representation provided by the media.

Some useful sites relating to the study of media are:The Encyclopedia Of Television provides research, articles and information about television programs, networks, and issues relating to television.Media-Awareness - a Canadian site devoted to the study of media literacy for students, parents and teachers. The site includes a variety of lessons, resources, articles and issues related to media.Respecting Copyrights - a site devoted to the issue of on-line downloading, piracy, and the controversial impact of using the web for distribution of copyright materials in music, video, software, and film.Popular Culture Research - a link to the Brock University popular culture research page with information relating to comics, advertising campaigns and other important popular culture topics.